Technical Profile

Hi, I'm Santosh.

I solve problems between systems, platforms, and people.

I started my journey in AdTech when manual tags were still the norm. Over the last 10 years, I realized my favorite part of the job wasn't just trafficking campaigns—it was digging into the logs to figure out why a VAST tag failed or why an auction didn't clear.

Today, as a Deputy Manager at Samsung Ads, I focus on programmatic campaign workflows, CTV troubleshooting, and technical issue analysis. My ultimate goal is to transition into a Solution Engineering role where I can combine technical problem-solving with system design.

Quick Snapshot

Professional summary at a glance

Experience

10 Years

Current Role

Deputy Manager - Samsung Ads

Focus

Programmatic + CTV + Troubleshooting

Learning

OpenRTB, VAST, SSAI, System Design

Goal

Solution Engineer

Portfolio

AdTech Learning + Projects

What I Do

Operational work with a technical debugging mindset

My work sits between operations and technology. I spend most of my time understanding why campaigns deliver or do not deliver, validating tracking and setup, and troubleshooting issues across the AdTech ecosystem.

I am particularly interested in how different systems connect — ad servers, SSPs, DSPs, video workflows, and tracking systems — and how to debug issues when something breaks in the chain.

  • Programmatic campaign support and delivery troubleshooting
  • Technical Ad Operations and setup validation
  • Tracking and measurement checks (GTM, analytics, attribution)
  • CTV and video workflow learning (VAST, ad pods, SSAI basics)
  • Troubleshooting and root cause analysis
  • Process and workflow validation

Active Learning Focus

Technical areas in progress right now

  • OpenRTB bid request and response structure
  • Ad serving and GAM delivery logic
  • VAST and CTV workflows
  • SSAI basics and video ad delivery
  • Debugging fundamentals (timeouts, win/loss mismatch, delivery issues)
  • Python and SQL for AdTech data analysis
  • Log analysis and troubleshooting workflows
  • AdTech system design (SSP, DSP, CTV architecture)

Platforms & Tools

Where I spend time, investigate problems, and keep learning

Ad Serving & Programmatic

  • Google Ad Manager 360
  • DV360
  • Samsung Ads
  • PMP / PG basics
  • Delivery troubleshooting

Tracking & Analytics

  • GTM checks
  • Tracking validation
  • Conversion flow checks
  • Reporting analysis

CTV / Video

  • VAST basics
  • Ad pods
  • SSAI basics
  • CTV troubleshooting

Technical Learning

  • OpenRTB
  • Debugging workflows
  • Python
  • SQL
  • Log analysis

Core Expertise

Skills and competencies across AdTech domains

Ad Serving

  • Google Ad Manager 360
  • DV360
  • Samsung Ads
  • Ad Exchange Basics
  • Delivery Troubleshooting

Programmatic

  • OpenRTB
  • RTB Flow
  • Real-time Bidding
  • Auction Logic
  • Supply Paths

CTV & Video

  • VAST Structure
  • Video Ad Pods
  • SSAI
  • Ad Wrappers
  • Video Troubleshooting

Tracking & Analytics

  • GTM Implementation
  • Conversion Tracking
  • Event Measurement
  • Attribution Models
  • Data Validation

Technical Skills

  • Python
  • SQL
  • Log Analysis
  • API Integration
  • System Design

Core Competencies

  • Root Cause Analysis
  • Problem Solving
  • Documentation
  • Process Optimization
  • Cross-team Collaboration

What I Am Building

Projects and study outputs taking shape

Mock Ad Server

In Progress

I'm building this to see exactly how auction logic works under the hood when a bid request fails or targeting logic conflicts.

RTB Flow Diagrams

Active

I create these diagrams to visualize the chaos of the supply path and pinpoint exactly where technical failures happen.

VAST / CTV Toolkit

Planned

A compact reference toolkit for VAST structure, trackers, wrappers, ad pods, and CTV troubleshooting examples.

Troubleshooting Handbook

Active

A working handbook of recurring delivery issues, validation steps, and RCA-style investigation notes.

Python AdTech Utilities

Learning

Small utilities for parsing reports, checking logs, calculating KPIs, and reducing repetitive investigation work.

Where I Want To Grow

Moving deeper into technical AdTech

My goal is to grow deeper into the technical side of AdTech and move toward Solution Engineer-style work, where I can combine troubleshooting, integrations, system understanding, and practical problem solving.

I am especially interested in programmatic infrastructure, CTV workflows, OpenRTB, debugging, log analysis, and AdTech system design.

Why This Website Exists

A technical portfolio and learning space

This website is my AdTech learning and portfolio space. I use it to document technical topics, study plans, troubleshooting notes, project ideas, and concepts that I want to understand more deeply.

Instead of keeping learning scattered across notebooks and bookmarks, I wanted one place where I can track what I am studying, what I am building, and how my understanding of AdTech is evolving.

My Journey

How the profile evolved from quality thinking to technical AdTech depth

Ten years, four phases — and one common thread: asking why a system fails before trying to fix it. Each step below moved a little closer to the technical core of AdTech.

2015 → Present
  1. Testing
  2. Ad Ops
  3. Programmatic
  4. CTV & SE track
2015 01

Testing & Quality Mindset

Started from validation, reproducibility, edge cases, and understanding why systems fail before trying to fix them.

2018 02

Technical Ad Operations

Moved closer to setup, trafficking, tags, delivery validation, and operational workflows where precision matters.

2021 03

Programmatic & Troubleshooting

Built stronger hands-on understanding of campaign behavior, issue triage, measurement, and cross-platform troubleshooting.

2024 04

CTV & Technical Learning

Now focused on video delivery, CTV workflows, OpenRTB, log analysis, and system thinking for Solution Engineer growth.

Let's Connect

Interested in collaborating or discussing AdTech?

I am always interested in conversations about programmatic troubleshooting, CTV workflows, system design, and technical learning opportunities. Feel free to reach out via email or connect on professional networks.

✉️ Email Me 💼 LinkedIn 🐙 GitHub 📄 Resume

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